Washing machine mechanism



Sept. 17, 1940. D, H 2,215,288

WASHING MACHINE MECHANISM Filed May 27. 1936 f F/gj- [Z 2i i 9 20" 4 21 4 Z9 8 f 7 2 27 i I a' h N'gZ.

"" Inventor:

David Hays His Attovne g.

Patented Sept. 17, 1940 UNITED STATES WASHING MACHINE MECHANISM David Hays, Fairfield, Conn., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application May 27, 1936, Serial No. 82,033

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to washing machines of the type having an agitator which is moved orbitally in order to effect the washing action.

The object of my invention is to provide an improved construction and arrangement in washing machines of this type and, for a considera-- tion of what I believe to be novel and my invention, attention is directed to the accompanying description and the claims appended thereto.

In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a washing machine embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the washing machine shown in Fig. 1, partly 18 in section and partly broken away.

Referring to the drawing, the tub I is supported at its outer edge by a cylindrical skirt 2 to which are aflixed supporting legs 3. A rubber bead 4 which is mounted on the upper edge of the skirt 2 provides a cushion support for the tub. A gear casing 5 extends diametrically across and is bolted at either end to the depending sides of the skirt 2. Integral with the upper side of the gear casing is a cylindrical post 6 which extends through a central opening in the bottom of the tub. The post is provided with a flange I which supports the tub. The opening in the bottom of the tub is sealed by a flexible diaphragm 8, of rubber or other suitable material, theedges of which are clamped to the bottom of the tub by screws 9 which are threaded through a clamping ring In into the flange I. A suitable gasket II is provided between the flange 1 and the bottom of the tub in order to prevent leakage.

85 When the screws 9 are threaded in place the tub -is wedged tightly against the rubber bead 4, thereby providing a solid mounting for the tub.

The diaphragm 8 has hollow cone or domeshaped portion I2 which flares inwardly and upwardly toward the center of the tub. On the upper end of the dome-shaped portion I2 is positioned an agitator I3. This agitator may be of any suitable shape and, for purpose of illustration, is shown as a corrugated disk. The agitator is driven by a shaft I4 which extends upwardly from the gear casing through the domeshaped portion I2 of the diaphragm, and which is connected to the agitator by a screw I5. The agitator and the shaft I4 are respectively provided with spherical shaped metal plates I6 and I! which conform to the surface of the diaphragm and provide extended clamping surfaces for securing the shaft and the agitator to the diaphragm. The plates I6 and I! prevent any i leakage around the screw I5 and also distribute the stress on the diaphragm. At the lower end the shaft I4 is provided with a ball I8 which is rotatably held in a socket .in the outer end of a crank I9. The crank is "arried by a vertical shaft 20 and, since. the shaft I4 is inclined in: wardly from its lower end toward the vertical, rotation or oscillation of the crank I9 will cause the axis of the agitator to be moved orbitally about the shaft 20. Due to the ball and socket connection between the shaft and the crank the shaft is not rotated by the crank., During the orbital movement of the agitator successive portions of the agitator will be depressed and subsequently elevated, and this movement of the agitator-produces a rubbing and stirring action on the clothes which effects the washing. During washing the dome-shaped portion I2 of the diaphragm is subjected to a continual flexing, assuming the instantaneous shape generally indicated in the drawing. The flexing of the dia- 20 phragm is dependent somewhat on the resistance encountered by the agitator and, whilethe agitator is normally held in a central position, the flexibility of the diaphragm is suflicient to permit lateral movement of the agitator if the agi- 25 tator encounters sufiicient resistance such as may result from unbalanced distribution of the clothes. This lateral movement eliminates any danger of damaging the clothes. The domeshaped portion I2 of the diaphragm has the furo ther function of preventing tangling of the clothes at the center of the tub since the clothes tend to slide over the flaring sides of the dia-' phragm toward the outside of the tub. Tangling of the clothes at the center of the tub is fur- 35 ther prevented by oscillating the crank I9 instead of rotating it continuously in-one direction.

For oscillating the crank I9 I have used the driving mechanism illustrated in application S erial No. 65,597, filed February 25, 1936. In accordance with this construction the vertical shaft 20 is suitably journalled in a. boss 2| in the gear casing, and on the lower end of the shaft 20 is fixed a pinion 22 which meshes with a reciprocat- 45 ing rack 23. The left end of the rack is provided with a crank pin 24 which is rotatable in a bearing eccentrically located in a worm wheel 25. The worm wheel is keyed to the lower end of a vertical wringer drive-shaft 26 which is journalled 50 in a bearing 21 in a tubular wringer post 28. The wringer post is clamped to the upper wall of the gear casing by a split clamp 29 integral with the upper wall of the gear casing. The worm'wheel is rotated by a worm 30 which is driven by an iv electric motor 3| carried on the gear casing by rubber rings 32 clamped to supports 33. An intermediate shaft 34 is connected between the motor shaft 35 and the worm shaft 36 by flexible couplings 31. A thrust ball 38 is provided at the end of the worm shaft which is adjusted by means of a screw plug 39. With this arrangement the worm wheel 25 is continuously rotated in one direction by the motor, and the crank pin 24 bearing in the worm wheel causes the rack 23 to be reciprocated. The angle of oscillation of the crank may vary from a fraction of a revolution to one or more complete revolutions depending upon the size of the pinion 22 and the travel of the rack. The reciprocating movement of the rack is guided by a guide 40 having rearwardly extending ears 4| pivoted on a plunger 42. The plunger 42 is slidable in the side wall of the gear casing and is biased outwardly to a position in which the rack is out of mesh with the pinion 22 by a coil spring 43. The plunger is moved inward to the position shown in Fig. 2 by a cam 44 on a control lever 45 which is pivoted on a bracket 46. The inward movement of the plunger is adjusted by means of a set screw 41 which is threaded on the end of the plunger.

On the underside of the crank pin 24 is a friction pin 48 which is urged by spring 49 against the gear case cover 50. The friction pin 48 holds the crank pin 24 in its bearing in the ear wheel 25; supports the wringer shaft 216, and thereby prevents vertical movement of the wringer shaft which would change the mesh between the worm wheel 25 and the worm 30; and also offers frictional resistance to the reciprocating movement of the rack, which tends to prevent overtravel of the rack.

In the use of the washing machine the tub is filled with liquid to a level somewhat higher than the highest position of the agitator and the clothes to be washed are loaded in the tub. The control lever 45 is then moved to the position shown in Fig. 2, thereby moving the rack into engagement with the pinion 22 and starting the oscillation of the crank l9. During the oscillation of the crank, the axis of the agitator is moved orbitally about the shaft 20. The agitator has a wobbling movement in which successive portions of the agitator are depressed and subsequently elevated. This produces a stirring and rubbing action which effects the washing. At the conclusion of the washing operation the control lever 45 is moved to the position in which the rack is out of mesh with the pinion 22, thereby stopping the washing action.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

In a washing machine having a tub provided with an opening, a flexible diaphragm for sealing said opening, an agitator in the tub above the diaphragm, means including said flexible diaphragm for resiliently centering the agitator, a driving member for the agitator extending through the diaphragm and fixed thereto in sealing relation, and means on the side of the diaphragm opposite the agitator for moving the drive ing member orbitally without rotating it substantially.

DAVID HAYS. 

